Final Fantasy VII 1. Finishing as You Start

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Final Fantasy VII, it's characters, or any of that jazz. I wish - like most fans wish for a person - that I owned Cloud, or at least, y'know, _knew_ him, but I don't.

**Warning:** There will be shounen-ai! If you don't know what it is... I suggest you ask someone or something. If you don't like that sort of thing, I'd stop reading. Well, not that this chapter has anything in it, but... I'm giving you a warning! There. I said it.

So this is what I've been doing instead of writing the fourth chapter of 'Mindless'. Yes, I'm lazy. Do I care? Not really. This was kind of random and, though not humor, pretty funny when I wrote it. Just because I had my friend reading what I was writing over my shoulder and going, "ZOMG, that's _wrong!_" Yeah. She made writing this funny. I'm sorry about how little dialogue there is in the beginning. I'm trying to improve on description and this is kind of a practice run. Yell at me if you don't like it. Also, this chapters slightly shorter than most of the chapters I've done before. I think! I have no idea.

I will continue 'Mindless' for those of you who read it and are reading this. I think you'd be crazy to, but... that's just me. XD Anyway, on with the show!

**Dreams of a Lost Soul**

**Chapter 1: Finishing As You Start**

1

Shinra. Nibelheim. Jenova. Sephiroth. Midgar. AVALANCHE. SOLDIER. Ancients. These words, and many more, came to Cloud's mind at all times of the day or night. He'd been wondering where he was for a while when he woke up, lying in a hospital bed. He was informed by a few people in white that he was in Mideel, the town where the lifestream broke through the surface of the earth. At first he wasn't aware of who he was either. He didn't remember anything from when he was younger or from just a couple days ago. All he could remember was what had happened from when he woke up. However, he did, now, remember his name along with three of the words listed above that he was constantly thinking about.

Shinra. A leading organization in the world of Gaia. It had previously controlled the whole entire planet with its mako reactors. However, a year or so prior it had fallen during a battle between the people, the planet, and some monster. Now it held little place in everyone else's mind. This information had been obtained from a newspaper. Nibelheim had been the next word to come to him. It was where he was born. A lot of things - major - things had happened there. He just couldn't remember what. Sephiroth was the most recent thing to come to mind. His hero. That's all he could remember. He knew there were many other important things he should actually remember, but none of it was coming to him.

Everything - or mostly everything - he had remembered came from multiple dreams he'd had. They were broken up and he could never get too much from them. Especially seeing as he currently forgot a lot about them. His dreams, that is. He'd been in the same place for about a week, trying to figure out where he was, why he was there, and who knew him. The first two questions had been answered shortly after he had woken up. He was in a quaint town called Mideel. He was healing from wounds and that's why he was in the town. The doctors obviously knew who he was. The kept going on about companions that would come back in a little while for him. However, he had no idea what the doctors were taking about and once they realized this, they panicked. Though they wouldn't tell him why.

He sat in his bed, not really knowing what to do with himself. He knew that he would have to leave Mideel soon. He didn't have the money to pay for the apartment he was staying in. He didn't have a job either. The doctors had told him not to bother seeing as he was supposed to be gone already. Who would be picking him up, though? Would he remember them why he saw them? Probably not ... It was going to be very awkward leaving with them, then. They'd know him and probably start ranting and he wouldn't even know what they were really talking about, just as the doctors had done. The only good company he'd had all week was a little girl that lived in the apartment just down the hall from. She and her dog were so adorable.

He stared at the room around him, just as he'd done millions of times before. It was the same blue and white pattern that had been there all week. The stripes were starting to make him insane, though he couldn't really tell why. Maybe it was the fact that they were so perfect and he wasn't. The wall was a whole being, but he was broken. He wasn't really sure. The dark blue carpet didn't even really match the wall. He wondered what the designer was thinking as he put the carpet in... The walls were a lighter blue (sky blue) while the carpet was a dark, almost black, blue. Sure, all blues should go together, but Cloud was against the combination. Though it made him feel better about his own imperfections.

The furniture in the place was the same light blue as the wall. He was constantly wondering where they'd found such light colored chairs in blue. He knew it was possible with tan chairs and maybe even white, but _blue_. That was something he hadn't seen before. The kitchen was the same color as the living room, all the appliances obviously having been painted to match. The town had a weird sense of decoration. Even the handles on the silverware were that same light blue color. He was slightly creeped out, while at the same time amused. Why would they want to take so much time to worry about something like that? They could've just left the handles black or whatever their original color was.

The bedroom was his favorite place in the whole entire house. The walls were painted a dark blue to match the carpet and the bed spread. It managed to stay dark, even in the middle of the day. That's where he got a lot of his thinking done. Though that hardly took up much of his day. He spent most of it sleeping, trying to get more and more from his dreams. It made his sleeping pattern irregular and whenever he wanted to go out and buy food, he always just barely made it before the store closed. The doctors came daily to see what his progress was, but he never really told them much. He just sat there and thought about them. How they wouldn't tell him about his past and everything else. What was so wrong with being told what had happened? He'd asked them once, fed up with their beating around the bush and pressing him for answers. Their only response had been 'it's too complicated'.

They hadn't shown up yet today, and he wasn't about to wait for them either. There was something that was trying to break through his subconscious, but it couldn't. He'd have to sleep to figure out what it was. It could just be something he'd already seen, but that didn't matter. So long as it led to him finding out _something_ then he was happy. Pounding memories into his head wasn't a bad thing. Not a bad thing at all. Therefore, he let himself drift to sleep for the fourth or fifth time that day. Little did he know he'd be out much longer this time around.

2

The dream started not too long after his eyes were closed. It was different from any other one he'd had before. It wasn't broken and he hardly recognized himself. He was too small to really know that it was him he was looking at. He had to be around five or six, sitting in front of the old television that he and his mother owned. His father was already dead, there was a picture of him on the mantle. A picture he some how knew his mother was constantly crying over. Just like he some how knew his father was dead and had died from some illness. He wasn't sure of too much more than that, though.

The picture was faded, but he could tell who it was that he was staring at in an instant. Sephiroth. The great hero of the Wutai war. He was in his mid-teen years and just starting out in the war, but Cloud already knew he was something special. Anyone with eyes that shown as brightly as his and hair as long as his had to be something special. He didn't know too many men with long hair. Then again, at six years old and living in Nibelheim, he didn't know too many men at all. But this was _Sephiroth_. The greatest man alive. At least to him. Without a father figure, he clung to anything he could. What better way to learn to become a man than watch someone who was on TV? Sephiroth was important, obviously, because he was on there. He was stronger than the rest. At such a young age, he led everyone in SOLDIER. SOLDIER was the group of elite military men that Shinra used to fight their wars and go on top secret missions. The idea both excited Cloud and scared him. He wasn't the bravest person there was in the world. Then again, what six-year-old was? Anyway, point being, Sephiroth was a hero to him. He was the best of the best and Cloud wanted to be that too.

His mother called to him from the kitchen, telling him to wash his hands and get ready for dinner. He did as he was told, sad to have to leave his idol alone, with no one watching. At such a young age, he didn't have any concept of how large the world actually was. It didn't occur to him that maybe, just maybe, there were millions of other people there to acknowledge his idols existence. No, to him, it was just him and Sephiroth. No one else in the world cared. He alone knew that Sephiroth was great, and in his world Sephiroth cared that he knew. It kept him amused during the day when no one else would pay attention to him. It was a great fantasy, having someone else care about what you thought other than your mother. After a while you started to realize that she was just saying things to make you feel good about yourself. Boost your self-esteem. That happy jazz.

Though he couldn't make out the picture from the table, he stared nonetheless. His mother didn't scold him either, she knew that Sephiroth was the only friend he had. Imaginary or not. Well, not quite imaginary, seeing as he was real, but in a sense. Cloud didn't actual know him and Sephiroth probably didn't care that he existed. However, she didn't have the heart to tell her son that his only "friend" didn't even spend one second of the day thinking about him.

The meal was eaten in silence, just like it normally was. They spoke so much during the day that they made sure that their meals were eaten in silence. It was sort of a time of silence to honor Cloud's father. Though a lot of people in town said he was just a week man that never amounted to anything. A lot of the children, and even some of the adults, said that he would turn out just like his "good for nothing father". He never stood up for himself. He didn't know how. Not yet. Silence was his best counter to everything. Especially seeing as if he stood there still and quiet enough, they would just figure he wasn't being bothered by it and move on. They'd leave him alone.

After he finished eating, Cloud went to the TV to check and see if Sephiroth was still there. He wasn't, nor was the news. It was some other sort of program that his mother was into. Slightly disappointed in missing the rest of it (he hadn't been allowed to turn up the volume due to the fact that it was an old TV and might break easily), he walked to his bed and flopped down. There wasn't really a divider between any of the rooms. He and his mother's bed were side by side and the TV was right across from his, though too far away to see. He could see his mother doing the dishes in the kitchen and would've offered to help, but he already knew the answer. She didn't want him cutting himself with a knife or anything. No, that would be real bad. The only thing that was closed off from the rest of the house was the bathroom. That was the only place that they needed privacy. His mother told him that they'd boughten the house because when he was little he would get into trouble and she needed to see him at all times. However, he had a little bit of knowledge about their state when it came to money and he knew that she just couldn't afford anything else. That didn't matter, though. He liked his house the way it was.

Cloud's dreams stopped momentarily, only to continue with a different seen a few years later. He was about ten and had strayed from the house for a little while. His mind had automatically filled in all the blanks that he needed to know. It somehow picked up on little details that he should remember in that moment of blackness. He had a crush on a girl, Tifa, who didn't even know he existed. It seemed sort of twisted to his adult mind, but to his childish mind it made perfect sense. She was harder to get and he had to work for her, so... The challenge was what attracted him. What kept him going. He wasn't really in love, he probably wouldn't love anyone for another few years, but she was the prettiest girl in town and hung out with all the other boys. Maybe someday she'd pay attention to him.

Once again, being a child he didn't understand that probably meant she was some sort of slut or whore. He didn't think of it at all. He knew that even if he did think of it, he probably wouldn't mention it to her, but hey... Whatever, right? She normally stood there as all the other boys made fun of him, just like their parents did. Sure, it wasn't all of the adults, but life in Nibelheim wasn't a life that he enjoyed. If he wandered away from the house, he made sure to wander far _far_ away. Somewhere no one else would go to find him. Today, however, someone caught him before he could get too far.

He was just outside town, heading towards Mt. Nibel where the reactor was (he constantly went there, despite the dangers). He always hoped that maybe Sephiroth had to go on a mission there or something. He'd hit twenty and was a hero to the world, something Cloud had hoped wouldn't happen. That meant that he wasn't the only one who cared. That meant the one thing that was truly his had been taken away. Therefore, he wasn't as amazed by him as before, but he was still obsessed. Also, he understood that other people had TV's besides himself. They even had better TV's. A very devastating thing for a ten-year-old to find out.

Anyway, he was ambushed on his way to his favorite spot. Three of the boys from town decided that they didn't want him to make it there today. One of them had cut him off while the other two snuck up behind him and grabbed a hold of his arms. It wasn't a comfortable situation for him to be in. Not really. He was scared, because he'd never really been _attacked_ before. He'd normally been teased until the got bored. He guess they just really wanted to do him in so they attacked. Or at least that's what he figured.

"Well, boys, lookie what we found," the boy in front of him said, sneering. "Trash. Maybe we should bring him to the dump where he belongs, eh?"

The other two boys laughed and nodded as Cloud shook with fright, "Yeah boss. We should compact him and throw him in the dump!"

"Good idea! Though, I dunno how well or how long he'll stay compacted, so we'll have to put him in a box or a bag. Did either one of you bring the bag?"

"I did," the boy on Cloud's right held up a bag with his free hand. It wasn't a regular trash bag, no, that would rip if he was put in there.

"Wait!" He cried out and tried to pull free. Why were they doing this to him? What had he done? "Why? I didn't do anything! I was just walking!"

They laughed again as he started to cry. Not a very manly thing to do. Sephiroth wouldn't do something like that. He was a real man. Cloud, however, had a lot of trouble being a real man seeing as none of the men in Nibelheim actually acted like one. They just acted like a bunch of assholes.

He found himself trapped in the bag within moments. He was worried because there were two was they could go. There was the gradual slope that headed back towards town where he would most likely roll until he hit the well. Or - and he was hoping they wouldn't chose this one - there was the cliff that they could just throw him off of and he could break a few bones on the way down. He didn't know which choice they had made until it was too late and by that time, he was plummeting down about thirty or forty feet. Hitting every rock and crag on the way down. Lucky him.

He was stuck in the bag and a lot of time passed (a lot faster than it probably did in the actual event) before he could actually get himself out. He was covered in cuts and bruises, but nothing was broken. That was typical. He hardly ever got really hurt, even though he thought he was going to die. It took him a couple more hours to climb back up the side of the cliff and he received a few more cuts and bruises.

Just as the sun started to set, he felt something tugging at him to wake up. Something he didn't want to do quite yet. However, it was one of the doctors and they forced him to open his eyes and explain exactly why he'd been screaming.

3

"Hello, Cloud," the doctor said, smiling at him.

"Hello," his voice had a monotone ring to it.

"Has there been any progress with your memories?" The doctor shifted, obviously uncomfortable with the way Cloud just stared at him.

"A little..." He continued staring, not shifting his gaze or blinking once. Intimidation was the way to go.

"What have you remembered?"

"...My mother, a little more about Sephiroth, and Nibelheim... I remembered more about Nibelheim."

"What specifically about Sephiroth and Nibelheim?"

"Just that Sephiroth was a great hero in the Wutai war and that I grew up in Nibelheim. Other than that, nothing."

"You haven't remembered the end of the war yet? Or beyond?"

"No, sir."

"Alright. Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

"Have they come yet?"

"What?"

The doctor looked at him like he'd just asked the worst question in the world. Like he was the sickest person alive. Cloud didn't get it. He just wanted to know if those people were coming to pick him up yet.

"Those people you were talking about, have they showed up yet?"

"Oh! I didn't understand what you were asking me. We're not sure. There's a couple of people at the office, but we aren't sure of who they are yet."

"There was another way to view that question...?"

"No!" Then he calmed down. "No, there wasn't. I think that's all for today. I'll come back tomorrow."

The doctor left and Cloud stared after him. That was weird... Why had he freaked out about his question? He just mentioned 'they' and the guy flipped. Was there another 'they' that should be back? There was something wrong with the whole situation. However, he couldn't do anything about it at the time being. Right now, he would just have to wait and see if he could go back to sleep and remember anything. Just as his eyes were closing again, there was a knock at his door. The doctor had already left, so who was there now?

He got out of his bed and sighed. Who would be knocking at his door? He didn't know anyone in the village other than the doctors and he was just sick of them. Plus, why would they send two doctors one day? There was another knock and he felt himself twitch. Couldn't they just be patient? Another knock. Obviously not. That was wrong. He finally reached the door and opened it, confused at who he saw at the door. After all, he didn't recognize them.

"Ah, Vince, man, this is awkward. He's givin' me a funny look."

4

"The doctors told us you couldn't remember a thing," Vincent stood against the wall, arms folded and his gaze fixed on Cloud.

"I can't... Not much anyways. Just stuff from when I was little right now." Cloud was too busy watching Cid to notice that he was being stared at. After all, the man hadn't stop smoking since he got here. His pack of cigarettes was almost out.

"What cha lookin' at, Blondie?" Cid took another drag from his cigarette before standing up and walking into the kitchen. "Man, they did a sucky job of providin' for someone who's supposed to be sick. You hardly got nothin' in 'ere."

"I think you mean 'anything'..." Cloud stood up and started to shut all the cabinets Cid had opened.

"Well, that part about ya ain't changed... Things always gotta be shut." Cid frowned and ran a hand through his blonde hair.

"Cid, please... Now isn't the time to harass him." Vincent moved from his corner and stopped Cloud from shutting one of the cabinets. "Listen, we came here to get you. You'll have a lot more food, if that even matters to you, and maybe you'll remember things a little bit faster, if you come with us. It's up to you."

"Yeah, ain't no time for harassin'..." Cid grumbled and walked back into the living room, putting out his current cigarette and lighting another one.

Cloud stood there, staring at Vincent as he kept him from closing the cabinet. He didn't know whether to agree because it would get him out of this horrible situation he was in at the moment, or whether to be angry because he was being stopped from fixing his kitchen. He decided he had to think about both for a little while. Maybe a day or so. It would take away from his sleep time, however, to be traveling with these two. They made him nervous. Very, very nervous.

"I'll... have to think about it. Another day at least. If you want to stay here, the couch pulls out..." Cloud brushed Vincent's hand away from the cabinet and closed it. "However, it's getting late and I'm tired..."

"Ya've been sleepin' all afternoon! That's why we didn't come any earlier..." Cid looked over at them from the couch, frowning. "The doctor's say ya sleep all day an' night."

"You talk to the doctors too much..." Cloud left the two to themselves, running off to his room. He could feel another one of his dreams coming on and if he didn't catch it he'd miss the wave. He hoped this one had more to do with Sephiroth. He wanted to know more about his supposed idol. Well, it wasn't supposed anymore. His dreams proved that he absolutely adored the guy. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that he was _gay _for the guy. Cloud changed into his pajamas (okay, so he just stripped until he was in boxers) and crawled into bed, letting his eyes close slowly. Didn't want his mind to know how eager he was to actually _dream_.

**/Chapter 1**

**A/N**

Right! So there it is! I hoped you liked it even a little bit. I mostly started writing a Cloud fic because I read one not to long ago that the person actually wrote "If Cloud had more brains...". I was slightly annoyed and figured I'd let them know _what _was wrong with Cloud and that it wasn't stupidity. Or at least my outlook on what happened to Cloud seeing as we don't know!

Right, so I'll update stuff as soon as I can! Thanks! (And please review! It gives me confidence and a little self-esteem that I'm too cheap to buy at Rite-Aid. XDDD)


	2. Gay Men Are Taking Over the World!

**Disclaimer: **I don't, I don't, I don't own FFVII! Cloud, Cid, Vincent, and everyone else belong to Squaresoft/Enix. Okay? I only own the plot line and Dwayne. You'll meet Dwayne later.

**Warning: **There is SHOUNEN-AI in this chapter! If you aren't a fan of it, go. If you don't like it when it's between Cid and Vincent, turn back now. There's a pretty button up there to take you away! Otherwise, you can stay and read the fluff. 3

**A/N: **Right, so I typed this up before putting up chapter one that way I could have a chapter to entertain you with while I worked on the next chapter. I'm gonna do that for 'Mindless' too, I think. So it's gonna be a while before I update that. Don't worry, though! I will work on it all! Just as soon as I pass in this stupid English project. -sigh- I hate sophomore year.

This is better than chapter 1, I promise! I really really do! Mostly because of the name and all of the humor in it. Please, please, please send reviews! I haven't received a single one yet. I know it's only been a week, but still! It made me sad. :( Well, here ya go anyways! There's also less words in this one, even if it came out to be more pages. o.O; Probably because of my obsession with dialogue. I failed at trying to do more detail. XD

**Chapter 2: **Gay Men Have Taken Over the World!

1

Cid stared at Vincent. He'd been doing that for an awfully long time now. It didn't bother Vincent, though. He was used to the fact that Cid just couldn't take his eyes off. He had this crazy idea that he was beautiful and just wouldn't let it go. Vincent would always tell him he was crazy and continue whatever he was doing, but then Cid would interrupt and well, things would go from there. Sometimes it was an okay direction and other times it was a direction in which they really shouldn't have been going in. No one knew about it and they prided themselves in that. It was the secrecy that fueled them on the most. It gave them a sort of excited feeling. It could be the reason why the sex was so great when they got to it, or maybe it was just something else entirely.

"Hey, Vinnie, this apartment is too bright for ya isn't it?" Cid joked, flipping the light switch in the kitchen off.

"Knock it off, Highwind. We're in someone else's apartment." Vincent avoided the arms that attempted to wrap themselves around him. His voice failed to hide the fact that he was having fun, playing this game and all.

"Aw, when did that stop us before? We still cuddled at Barret's. Cuddled plus some other stuff... Just last week, 'member? And then they sent us on this silly mission." Cid snaked his arms around Vincent's waist, pulling the dark-haired man against his chest.

"That's Barret. Barret remembers who we are and has a slight idea that something's going on despite his utter stupidity." Vincent, despite his verbal protest, leaned his head on Cid's shoulder and wrapped his arms around his neck. "Cloud's confused as it is, don't you think?"

"Cloud? Who's that? I only know you."

"Don't be such a tease. We can't do anything."

"I can kiss ya, can't I?"

"No. Illegal. I won't allow it."

"'Course ya will."

And Cid did just as he said he could, pushing Vincent against the counter and making their lips touch briefly. After staring at each other's outline (can't see in the dark), Vincent brought their lips together again, lingering a moment before pushing Cid away. This was wrong. Cloud could wake up at any moment and see exactly what they were doing in his temporary kitchen. Cid didn't see that. He was all about his wants and needs. And Vinnie-dear's too, because he wanted it, he really did. He just couldn't have it. Not knowing that Cloud was just down the hall. What would he think of them, after all? He couldn't remember who they were. It'd be doubly creepy to find out they were gay. He wouldn't want to know that after just meeting someone... Again. At least not after meeting someone he was supposed to know.

"Vince, c'mon..." Cid pouted and hugged Vincent again, trying to move back in. "He's all the way down the hall. Probably sleepin' like a baby. This ain't fair to me."

"No, Cid." Vincent pushed him away again and headed for the living room. "I'll pull out the bed only if you promise to behave. Otherwise you're sleeping on the floor."

Cid's jaw dropped and he almost lost his cigarette. That would've been bad. He would've set the whole apartment on fire! The reason for his shock was that Vincent would normally threaten to sleep on the floor, not the other way around. Cid probably would've been a bad boy if Vincent had put it the other way, because he still would've been comfy in the bed, but now... He couldn't risk himself sleeping on the floor! That'd be horrible and wrong and just... Just plain uncomfortable!

"Aw, fuck... That ain't fair. Fine. I'll behave."

"Watch your mouth."

Vincent's expression stayed blank as he pulled the bed out of the couch. Either Cloud slept on the pull-out a lot or just planned for guests, because he had no trouble with anything being in his way. The bed also had sheets on it, but he doubted that was Cloud's doing. They were light blue to match the rest of the room and kitchen.

"Damn, someone wants us to just puke at the sight of light blue..." Cid grumbled, put out his cigarette, and pulled off his shirt before laying down on the couch-turned-bed.

"Yes, Cid, I'll turn off the lights. You asked so politely." Vincent still had that blank look on his face, but he was really smiling inside. Cid just didn't think about what he was doing before doing it. He also didn't consider helping out because Shera had always done everything for him. He turned off the lights anyways, joining Cid only after removing his shoes and cape. Everything else was going to stay on.

"No problem, darlin'," Cid yawned and wrapped his arms around Vincent.

"What did I say?" Vincent, though he sounded like he was protesting, didn't make a move to remove Cid's arms from his body.

"Oh, shush. I ain't doin' nuttin' wrong."

Vincent simply smiled and listened as Cid's breathing evened out. He was a lot easier to kiss when he was sleeping. Mostly because he wasn't talking in the middle of it and there was no rough returns. Cid didn't know how to be gentle. Not yet, anyways. It was something that he was going to have to learn. Vincent placed a quick kiss on his lips before settling into the pillows for a small nap. Before falling asleep he heard Cid mumbling in his sleep.

"We totally shoulda ransacked the kitchen..."

2

Cloud was dreaming again. However, this time he felt a sense of dread and wanted to wake up. He didn't know where he was and there was nothing around to make him feel secure. He was in a small room with only two beds. Though he wasn't accompanied by anyone else at the moment, he had a feeling he would be a little later on. His mind registered it as the barracks for SOLDIER trainees. He was scared, being alone and all. This was his chance to meet Sephiroth, though. That was the only thing that had kept him from chickening out and dealing with the laughing and mocking of his town. Sephiroth, his hero. This was his chance. Would he take it or let it slip by?

The door opened and someone entered. He didn't know them either. They both exchanged looks of confoundment before just going about their own business of unpacking. He wasn't acknowledged as his roommate's friends came in to see how he was doing. That was okay, there were too many of them anyways. He didn't like attention, nor did he like crowds. Well, he didn't like attention from most people. He wouldn't mind if _Sephiroth_ was the one giving him the attention. Or his mother, he loved it when his mother showered him with attention.

"Who's the silent loser?" Cloud heard one of them say as he put his suitcase on his side of the closet, obviously figuring he couldn't hear.

"Dunno yet..." He supposed this was his roommate, seeing as it'd be silly for anyone else to answer. "But just 'cause he's silent doesn't mean he's a loser. Now get out and let me finish packing."

Cloud would've turned around to give him a shocked look, but he was pretending like he couldn't hear them. All of them left, talking amongst themselves about what they were going to do the rest of the day once the speech later on was over. Most of them mentioned heading into the city to check out some girls and see what it was like. They were lucky to all know each other. Nibelheim was so small and none of the other boys were trying to enter SOLDIER like him. It didn't interest them. They didn't have to impress anyone. Not like him.

"...'bout them." Was all Cloud caught of his roommate's sentence.

"Excuse me?" He looked across the room bewildered.

"I said, 'sorry 'bout them'. They don't know when to keep their mouths shut. They're kinda stupid."

"Oh, well... Don't worry about it. I'm used to it by now."

"That's horrible! Anyway, let's not dwell on that. Heh, I'm Dwayne."

"Cloud."

They shook hands just as someone opened the door. It was one of the sergeants, coming to tell them that the meeting was starting in the auditorium. They both left their room the way it was and headed out the door and down the hall. Dwayne ignored his friends, seeing as they were occupying themselves, and instead struck up conversation with Cloud. They became silent as they walked through the doors to the auditorium. Cloud caught sight of the one person he'd come here for the moment he was directed to his seat. That long silver hair was unmistakable anywhere. He was only visible for a moment, though, because a man with black, spiky hair blocked his view, making him slightly angry. Something obviously didn't want him to glimpse Sephiroth again because there was someone blocking his view up until the end of the whole entire meeting.

Once it was over, Sephiroth was gone before Cloud could see him again. Instead, the black-haired guy was in his view again. It was an awkward moment for both of them because each one was caught staring at the other. That didn't stop them from staring, though. They continued to stared, even after most of the auditorium was empty. Finally, the black-haired man thought he ought to do something to stop this staring contest. He jumped down off the stage and walked right up to Cloud, leaning on his shoulder.

"See something you like, cadet?" The man had a goofy grin and his hair seemed like it was a pain in the ass to handle, being as long and spiky as it was.

"Uh... Not really, sir. Though I could ask you the same question if I thought higher of myself." Cloud moved forward, towards the exit, hoping to shake off the man who's attention he'd caught.

"Well, why don't you? I'll tell you the truth, I did see something I liked." His grin widened as he stepped in front of Cloud at the door. "Name's Zack. As in, the only other first class SOLDIER, so you better watch your mouth Zack."

Cloud blinked. "You're weird." He'd never been so straight-forward with someone before, but he couldn't help it with this guy. He just _asked _to be told people's opinion about him.

"No, no, I told you, I'm _Zack_. I've never met Weird. I'll have to some time. Do I remind you of him or something?"

"...?"

"That, uh... went right over your head, didn't it?"

"Sorta..."

"Right, I'll stop that now... What's your name, cadet? That way I can stop saying the 'c' word. I hate that word."

"I'm afraid you'd just be saying a different 'c' word if I gave you my name, sir."

"That's okay, so long as it isn't cadet, I'm good."

"Cloud, sir. Cloud Strife."

"Loosen up, will ya?"

Zack put his arm around Cloud's shoulder and led him out of the auditorium, going on and on about how Cloud's blue eyes just brought attention to him. How he couldn't help but stare at those electric blue eyes. Cloud told him he was crazy and Zack said that he sure knew a lot of people with weird names. He also reminded him of his own name again. This time, Cloud caught on to the joke a little better. It had just been so long since he _heard_ a joke that he couldn't recognize it. God, he was turning into a grouchy old man early.

"So why are you joining SOLDIER?" Zack steered him in the direction of the exit, a place Cloud never expected to see until he graduated from the training facility. "Wait, let me guess... You want to be just. Like. Sephiroth."

Cloud smiled slightly at how Zack accentuated the last three words. "Yeah, that's part of it..."

"And the other part?" Zack stared at him, an eyebrow raised.

"A... A girl." Cloud looked at the ground, embarrassed with himself.

"Ah, girls, the light of every boy's life... Is she worth it?" They were outside, walking towards the rest of the city.

"I think so..."

"You think so?"

"Well, it's so she'll notice me really... Right now I doubt she even remembers I exist."

"Ah... Tough luck there. That's a hard one."

"Where are we going?"

"Huh? Oh, my place!"

"What?! I just met you!"

"I'm not going to rape you! Jesus, calm down! My food's better than the cafeteria's. You'll appreciate it, trust me. Besides, I think we're gonna make great friends. This doesn't bother me. Though... Don't blame me if Mr. Tall Dark and Brooding walks in to steal me away."

"Mr. Tall Dark and Brooding?"

"The love of your life, darling Cloudy-cakes, the love of your life."

"...Sephiroth?"

"Uh, I didn't actually mean that whole 'love of your life' thing... Was I right?"

"No, not really. I just put it all together."

"Ah, well... No more talking 'til we get to my apartment. We'll waste our voices."

Cloud fell silent, a little unnerved about how this all happened. He just stared at the guy and BAM! Insta-friends. That was kinda creepy and yet cool at the same time. He looked at the scenery around him and it wasn't pretty. Back in Nibelheim he'd survived the harshness of everyone else by the gentleness of the flowers and nature. He wasn't a womanly man or anything, it was just calm and soothing. Here, everything was machinery. There wasn't a tree in sight - except for maybe inside the Shinra Building. It was all noisy and there was a stench coming from down below them that made his nose curl up in disgust every time he caught a whiff of it. It was dark, despite the fact that it was the middle of day. This was supposed to be the upperclass portion of Midgar. If that was so, he'd hate to see what the slums looked like.

Zack brought him to a large glass and steel building. It had to be the most beautiful building there was for about ten blocks or so. It stood out from the rest of the all-steel buildings that surrounded it. You could see the different colored curtains hanging in front of each window, blocking the view of any Peeping Toms from neighboring buildings or down below on the ground. It had to be at least thirty floors, if not more. They took the elevator all the way to the top and Cloud almost decided to never leave Zack's suite once he saw the beauty of the _inside_. Man, he had thought the _outside _looked good. Now, Cloud had no problem with light colors, his hair and eyes being extremely light and bright colors themselves. However, he much preferred the darker shades of blue and such. He was okay with greys, because they were still dark and all, but they weren't his favorites.

Zack's apartment had each room painted a different color of the rainbow. The living room was a deep, almost black, blue. The furniture was both black and blue to match it. The kitchen was a deep red, contrasting, and yet not, with the blue. His actual bedroom, which Cloud saw once he stepped farther into the living room of the suite, was a deep green. Probably to go with his green eyes. The apartment was of colors that matched each other beautifully. The color made it look a lot better than just the plain outside of the glass, though that was pretty too.

"So, uh... You gonna stop staring sometime soon?" Zack waved his hand in front of Cloud's face.

"I still find it really weird that you brought me to your apartment." Cloud shook his head and stared at Zack.

"Well, it's only a temporary stop, really. I just have to pick a couple of things up. Like, a jacket for each of us seeing as it gets pretty cold out there, y'know?"

"...I'd be perfectly warm if I were in my room right now. And didn't you mention something about food?"

"Well, yeah. That was the other thing that I stopped here for. Food! I love food! How about you? Do you like food?"

"...Food's alright. I mean, I guess I eat enough for a boy my age."

"Good! I make a lot of food, so be warned!"

Zack commenced in his making of food and all the other things he said he'd do. Like grabbing those jackets. He ignored Cloud whenever he mentioned going back to the dorm rooms. If he said it enough, then Zack would smile and say he needed to get out and taste the little bit of fresh air he'd be getting during his stay at the training facility. The food was done in about an hour and Cloud couldn't stop staring at the clock. It was three o'clock. They didn't need to be back by a certain time, though it was suggested that they get back by ten or so.

"Alrighty! Dinner is _served_!" It was then that his dream started to fade and Cloud felt himself being pulled out of sleep. He wasn't meant to see anything else today. Maybe not even tomorrow. However, he heard pots and other things hitting each other and the ground as he slowly regained consciousness.

3

"Cid Highwind! Stop this right now!" Vincent found himself chasing Cid around the kitchen as the older man set out to do just what he mentioned doing before falling completely asleep the night before.

Cloud walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes and wondering exactly who he was hearing. He had forgotten about the visitors from last night until the mess of his kitchen reminded him of open cabinets from last night. Vincent looked at him, some emotion actually showing in his deep red eyes. It was panic and some form of guilt. Guilt for not stopping Cid from ruining the whole place. There were pots every where and silverware scattered across the counter. Different cups were on the floor, so it was going to be like a maze to maneuver around them. Cid would picking it up before that happened, however.

"Ha! He thought open _cabinets_ was annoyin'! Jus' wait until he sees this, man!" Cid cackled, almost evilly, and turned to face Vincent.

"I don't think he'll be very happy with you. As a matter of fact, I know he won't."

"Yeah? How do ya know?"

"He's standing right behind you. Turn around and tell me if that's a happy face."

Cid turned and jumped as he saw Cloud standing right there, a frown on his face. He didn't care so much about the fact that it was messy, he just didn't want to have to clean all of it up. Especially seeing as he didn't even create half of the mess. How this was fair, he didn't know, but Cid still seemed to be getting over the joy of it. He had that lopsided grin of his on his face.

"I hope you plan on cleaning that up." Cloud went to the fridge and pulled out the milk, picking up a cup off the floor and leaving the danger zone before he broke something.

"Uh... O' course. I, uh, was just experimentin' with stuff is all. I'm, uh... gonna get right to that." Cid smiled and began to put everything back in it's respectful place, grumbling and complaining the whole time.

"Maybe you should've just left it, Cid." Vincent, despite what he had told himself just moments ago, began helping Cid put everything away.

"I know. I jus' wanted to see the look on 'is face. An' man... It was _worth_ it. Thanks for helping me pick up, by the way." Cid quickly kissed him on the cheek, just as Cloud walked back in the kitchen.

Both of their heads snapped up when his glass hit the floor. "Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude on your moment."

He began to pick up the glass with his hand, cursing as he cut it. Vincent chuckled and found the broom on the floor. Maybe it was a good thing Cid trashed the kitchen.

"We're sorry, Cloud. We hadn't planned on doing that until you at least remembered who we were. Cid's just impulsive and can't stop himself. We're really sorry." Vincent swept up the pieces of glass and threw them away.

"I don't mind, it was just a shock to see it in my kitchen..." _I have a feeling that I may not be too different. I'm not feeling anything for this girl 'Tifa' I'm supposed to like and I'm not getting any feeling of any other women. At least not yet._

"Sorry, man. I mean, I like ya, kid and I don't wanna make ya uncomfortable." Cid didn't realize what he said until Cloud was already giving him a weird look. "I mean I like ya like a brother or sumthin' like that!"

Both Cloud and Vincent chuckled. "I got what you meant. I guess... I should talk to you about my decision then, huh?"

Cid and Vincent looked at each other before nodding. This was a deciding moment.

**/Chapter Two**

**A/N**

Well, there you go folks! Chapter two! Hopefully I'll get chapter three done just as quick as I did this one. It only took me a day to type. All coming off the top of my head. At least the original did. Anyways, hope you like it! And please review. I'm not going to set a certain number of reviews or anything, but I would appreciate a couple.


	3. Getting Drunk is My Job, Kid

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Final Fantasy VII, Cloud, Cid, Vincent, or anyone else that may be mentioned in this chapter that belongs to Square Enix. Understand? Good.

**Warning**: Shounen-ai, people. If you're still reading it, you obviously don't mind that it's present. Which I'm very glad to hear! 3333

**A/N:** Okay, so this chapter came a little harder because of my English teacher. She's been an ass the past couple of days. That's all I'm gonna say about it.

Also, this story was fueled even more when I reviewed a poem of the person that made me want to write this story and got a very angry response back. I mentioned how Cloud isn't really an idiot and I probably would've liked the poem better if she hadn't done that... Also that, if anything, he was smarter than Sephiroth for not trying to destroy the world. I showed that I was being sarcastic/joking by putting a 'XD' right after what I said. Chick overreacted and said that it was her opinion. Well, this is my response to that: My opinion is, Cloud rules the world and isn't stupid and Sephiroth sucks. Just because she likes him. XP (He was a great villain until he started running around half-naked, then he just seemed like a whore. XDDD). I mean, _c'mon_. He was half-naked in that bubble and probably would've been fully naked if he wasn't all tentacle-y. And then there was the last fight you have with him inside Cloud's mind thing. (At least I think it was Cloud's subconscious.) Anyways, sorry if I offended any Sephiroth fans, but... Blame that chick for me not liking him. XD

**Chapter 3:** Getting Drunk is My Job, Kid

The room was completely silent. Neither Cloud nor Vincent were making a noise and Cid had long since left the room because he couldn't keep his moth shut like they could. It was his fault that the whole silence thing had started. After all, he didn't let Cloud say what he wanted to say, so they made a bet. They had a contest to see who could stay quiet the longest. Cid, of course, was done within five minutes, not being able to keep himself from saying something about how it was too quiet. Vincent and Cloud, however, were practiced at staying silent. Vincent had been asleep for thirty years (didn't leave much room for conversation) and Cloud had been alone and without memories for the past few days, so he hadn't been talking to anyone. (And of course, we all know that he's always too busy angsting to do much else.)

Cid walked through the front door, hands full of bags. Bags that seemed to be full of cigarettes and booze. Cloud raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Vincent stared silently, mentally groaning because he knew what was going to happen next. Or at least, he had a general idea of what was going to happen. Cid put the things down on the counter and stood in between them, wrapped one of his arms around each of their necks and pulled them right up against him.

"Alrighty, children, we're done playin' games. Now it's time ya turned from boys ta men. Get what I'm sayin'?" he said, smiling and making sure they were both _extremely_ uncomfortable. "I mean the contest's over! Booze for both o' ya!"

"Cid, we don't need booze to show that we were able to keep quiet longer than you," Vincent got out of his grasp and saw Cloud struggling to do so. It seemed Cid was trying to purposely make Cloud uneasy. "Now let Cloud go. We have to get going."

"We'll get goin' when I feel like flyin' my ship." Cid just held onto Cloud tighter and even kissed him on the cheek to annoy him.

"If you're going to be gay with someone, be gay with Vincent!" He whimpered and slipped out of his assailant's grasp.

Cid just smirked and pulled his beer and cigarettes out. Walking up to Vincent, he kissed him quickly and slipped something into his clawed hand. Vincent almost dropped it, realizing that Cid had actually thought about him! At first he hadn't been able to identify what the substance was. He couldn't feel it through metal, after all. However, when he moved it to his other hand he was able to feel it exactly. It was much different from Cid's beer. Oh so much different. The slenderness of the bottle gave away what it was in mere instances. All he had to do was see what flavor and, if Cid got it right, he'd be happier than a monkey's uncle. Well, he wasn't exactly sure how happy monkeys' uncles were, but... Everyone talked about them so much, he figured they must be happy. Anyhow, he looked down at the bottle to see that Cid _had_ gotten it right. He smiled the best that he could. After all, it would be gone soon.

Cid wanted something.

However, Vincent wasn't going to ask that right now. Right now he was going to concern himself with opening this bottle and getting a taste of that liquid. Or, at least the little taste that he could get from it. Thirty years of not eating really killed your taste buds. He would know, he could hardly taste the difference in anything anymore. However, that wine taste seemed to stay with him. Whether it was because the red wine was his favorite or it was just because he was weird like that, he didn't know. What he _did_ know was that he loved red wine and that was the thing he could still taste the sharpest out of anything in this God forsaken world.

Cloud stared at them and was, for some reason, reminded of Zack. He couldn't exactly remember why, only thinking of Zack as someone who fooled around and had some weird, twisted, pedophilic attraction to him. Not that he minded, it was better than being ignored. That was the worst feeling you could feel. The only thing he wasn't liking Zack for was not being able to see Sephiroth. He really wanted to be able to see Sephiroth! What was Sephiroth doing today? He couldn't exactly remember reading about him in the news papers, and the doctors just went pale when he asked and changed the subject. They never wanted to help him get his memories back... They were the weirdest doctors he'd ever had contact with. He didn't have much more time to think, however, before a beer bottle was shoved into his mouth against his will. He heard Vincent gasp from the kitchen and rush over, pulling on Cid's shoulders to get him away from Cloud.

"What? It ain't gonna kill 'im. He's twenty-somethin' now. Needs to be a man. Drink some liquor." Normally, Cloud would've passed it down. Alcohol didn't appeal to him. However, after being locked in here the past few days, anything was better than the water and sour milk they provided him with.

"That's not the point, Cid. You should at least ask if he wants it first." Vincent had his arms crossed, feeling very much out of character for scolding Cid like this. Normally he would just leave it be, but Cloud was so fragile at the moment.

Cloud pulled the bottle out of his mouth after taking a sip. That one sip reminded him of why he didn't drink... The burning sensation it sent down his throat and the disgusting taste just wasn't his thing. You had to have a taste for these sorts of things and he just didn't. However, the stress of this whole situation caused him to sip at it again, this time tolerating it a little more than the last. He kept doing that until the bottle was half-way gone, then he decided to put it down. Vincent was giving him funny looks.

"It's fine, Vincent. I... sorta needed it." He leaned against the wall and just stared at the bottle in his hand.

Vincent and Cid were both drinking their liquor, being so used to them that they didn't have to sip like Cloud did. Of course, Vincent was in a more "I can't really taste it" sort of category, but Cloud wasn't aware of that. Neither was Cid. He never discussed these sorts of things with other people. They didn't want to hear about his problems. No one wanted to... Okay, so Cid did. He was constantly bugging Vincent to tell him stuff about Lucrecia and his past, saying how it would help if it wasn't bottled up. However, Vincent found it easier to deal with if he forgot Lucrecia in one of his moments with Cid. He never truly forgot her, no, but she was more of a lingering presence when he was kissing Cid, or even just snuggling with him, rather than being an ever constant annoyance. Wow, snuggling didn't seem like a word that he should be applying to himself. However, that was the only word that could really describe the action. Besides... He _was_ gay. Supposedly gay men were more feminine or something. Yeah right. Cid was the least feminine thing he'd ever seen. Maybe that's... why he was on top most nights. He had dominancy issues.

Cid stared at Vincent, Vincent stared at Cloud, and Cloud stared at Cid. It was this circle of staring they had going. Cid was staring at Vincent for obvious reasons. Vincent was his unofficial boyfriend. He was great to look at. The things he always stared at the most were Vincent's hair, eyes, and, yes, his metal arm. He always wondered how that thing didn't kill them when they were really getting into the moment... However, Vincent always used it carefully, never once harming either one of them. Vincent was staring at Cloud just for something to stare at. Plus, it had been Cloud that had sort of started his thought process. So obviously he was going to look at what he was thinking about. Unless it was Lucrecia, then he couldn't do it. It just... Wasn't allowed. Cloud was staring at Cid for less obvious reasons, but still justified. He wondered how Cid could drink so much so fast. He was having trouble consuming his half a bottle, never mind two (yes, Cid was working on his third now). He wasn't going to question the master of beer drinking, he just wanted to know exactly how he did it so fast. They drank in silence for a few more minutes before Cid had to speak up.

"Jesus, if we're all gonna go gaga-eyed over each other, why don't we have a make-out session?" That earned him a good smack across the head from Vincent and a glare from Cloud. Though they all knew that in some twisted way or another... It made sense. Total and perfect sense.

It took another two hours for Cloud and Cid to get rid of the beer and for Vincent to finish his red wine. Cid was perfectly fine, having drank a lot in his life. So was Vincent, having not really tasted it and stuff like that didn't really have an affect on him. Cloud was starting to sway a little bit on his feet, and Vincent looked a lot prettier than he had before. His black hair spiked out instead of staying straight. That was when Cloud was aware that his vision... Wasn't the same as it had been moments ago. Cid was replaced by a bookshelf (how his mind got a bookshelf out of Cid he would later wonder himself) and Vincent was now Zack. He was actually living a scene from his past. Well, sort of. He was aware that he himself was actually on the ground, but everything was playing out before him even though he was still awake. He _knew _he was awake. His eyes were still open and he was watching the whole scene take place.

A few moments later, however, Vincent was shaking him by the shoulders and trying to move him to a better location to sleep. Preferably one near to a trash can for when he woke up. He heard Cid mumble something about "drank too much" and Vincent say "your fault." However, it wasn't really Cid's fault... Was it? No. It was his own for not stopping. So... No, wasn't Cid's fault.

However, Cloud wasn't willing to stay down for long. He couldn't sleep now. Now that he'd moved and his brain's gears were grinding together to make up something called a thought process, he was awake. Fully aware, or not, that Cid was there. The or not because he wasn't really aware of who he was. He just seemed to be there. Randomly. No one of consequence. Vincent, on the other hand, stood out perfectly. Cloud knew exactly who he was. And he, for some reason, couldn't tear his eyes away from the black haired, red eyed beauty. Well, he saw him as a beauty. It would've been rather insulting to Vincent's manly pride if Cloud said that out loud. Cloud also had this problem with letting Vincent go when he tried to leave the room. He felt him tugging and tugging, but he just wouldn't let go.

"Cloud, you should get some sleep. Cid and I will be in the other room if you need any help, okay?" Vincent tried once more to free himself from Cloud's grasp, but he wouldn't let go.

"You... You're so different from him. I... I don't remember him much, but you're just so different. Yet, the same. Your hair... How nice you are... I don't get it. How can you be the same, but different?" Cloud wasn't making sense to himself, so he wasn't sure that his point was getting across to Vincent, or if he even had a point in the first place. Vincent gave him a strange look and then smiled, seemingly understanding exactly what he meant.

"We're not the same, Cloud. I don't mean half as much to you as he did. I doubt I ever will. Keep that in mind. That's the fundamental difference between Zack and me. Do you understand?"

Cloud shook his head. He didn't want to understand what Vincent was saying. He wanted to be happy in thinking that Zack was here with him, in some way or form. In the drunken stupor that he was in - or near drunken stupor - he didn't understand that Zack was always with him. He wasn't trying to be sentimental and mushy. He was just trying to understand that, yes, there was someone remotely like the person he knew could help him around. And Cloud wasn't going to let him walk out of the room, out of his sight. The last time he couldn't see Zack he was shot to death. Shot to death by the very people he had worked for. However, those people had wanted them both dead. Until they realized that Cloud was practically a useless dummy. Then they left him.

Vincent was here though, and Cloud wasn't going to let him go. He wanted to know if he felt like Zack. Despite the fact that he didn't have too much of a memory of him, he was still remembering the feel of him. Even things that a man shouldn't know the feel of on another man's body. Cid hadn't done anything. Cloud was registering that he should be though. However, it seemed that he was enjoying the whole scene. Finding it very entertaining, he was. Cloud just stared at him a couple of moments before looking back to Vincent and tugging him down so they could look each other in the eye. It was more awkward for Vincent than anyone else. Cloud didn't care, he was drunk, and Cid just thought it was absolutely hilarious. That is, he thought it was hilarious until Cloud's lips met Vincent's.

Cloud sat there, with his lips pressed against Vincent's, wondering exactly how he was supposed to be doing this. He knew that he wanted to know if they were at all like Zack's, but how was he supposed to determine that? He wasn't sure if he could feel it from the kiss. However, when Vincent kissed back for his sake, he was able to tell that they weren't the same. They were far from the same. Vincent's lips didn't demand so much from one person. He only expected occasional acknowledgment, and hardly any feeling of affection aimed at him. So therefore, he didn't demand so much. Zack, on the other hand, was an attention whore. He lived and breathed for attention. So while he only asked for a kiss verbally, a kiss had always asked for much more than that.

Cloud finally pulled back, and Vincent sat there, stunned with himself. How could he let Cloud do something like that? And with Cid standing right there! However, Cloud was now laying on his side, drifting to sleep. He wouldn't have to worry about getting kissed again. Cid was frowning, but he had an idea as to why Cloud did it, so he wasn't exactly mad. Vincent immediately got up and walked over to him, going to calm him down. All the while Cloud was mumbling something about someone being gone. Both of them knew who he was talking about.

If Cloud hadn't been drunk, they would've kept him awake to keep him from dreaming any more. This Cloud wasn't broken like their Cloud was. Sure, he was confused as hell, but he enjoyed a good time with them. Cid didn't want to see Cloud hurt like he always was. However, the more he dreamt about what had happened in the past, the more he'd realize just how much his life wasn't so great. They had both been surprised that he hadn't asked when Zack was going to come and get him as well. It was a good thing, though. There would be too many questions to answer about how he died. The way he was going, he'd be able to figure it out himself.

"Vinnie, calm down. He's, uh... gonna be alright." Cid wasn't really sure of what he was saying. Sure, he _wanted_ Cloud to be okay, but that didn't mean that he was really going to be. Everything he'd been through... Cid had always been surprised that Cloud didn't look like Vincent. Then again, Vincent went through some sick experimentation stuff. They had different, yet similar, situations.

"I'm calm. Let's go into the living room," Vincent said as he pulled Cid out of the room. Cloud's dreams weren't going to be pleasant today. They may even be out of the order that he had them normally. He didn't want it to be a depressing one, but in the state that he went to sleep... Who knew what was going to happen?

They reached the living room and once again pulled out the bed there. Tonight, however, neither one of them was going to be half as discreet as the night before. Cid, because now Cloud knew and what else could possibly happen? And Vincent because he just didn't care at the moment. He needed to make sure that Cid was actually there. He had to make sure that Cid wasn't going to leave like Lucrecia left him, or how the most important people in Cloud's life left.

They started by just kissing each other, but once Vincent started shaking due to worry (and possibly a little bit because of the alcohol he had consumed), Cid started rubbing his back and kissing all over his face. Vincent's good hand was roaming, trying to see where everything on Cid was without actually being able to see him. Though the lights were still on, his eyes were still closed and he didn't want to open them. He didn't want to open in fear of not being able to see Cid any more. Feeling that he was there was better than anything else. So he continued to run his hands along Cid's body as Cid himself trailed kisses up and down his neck.

In some way or another, they were hoping that Cloud would wake up. Both of them had a really bad feeling about letting him sleep.

2

Cloud didn't even know that he was dreaming until he noticed that trees were whipping by. Even then he couldn't really register that he was dreaming. It _had_ happened before. So he just thought it was happening again. Zack was next to him, talking about what they'd do when they got to Midgar. Cloud, for some reason, couldn't respond. He didn't know how they'd gotten there or what had happened. He seemed to be around twenty or twenty-one. His mind just couldn't register any rational thought at the moment. Zack was still talking to him, despite the fact that he wasn't talking back. Cloud couldn't remember what had happened between the time gap, unlike the time when he went from being six to ten. It was making him uneasy.

The truck they were in stopped and Zack helped him out, making sure not to drop him on the way down. Held him up around the waist and made Cloud put an arm around his shoulder. Cloud didn't get why he couldn't do anything. He felt like a potato. Or maybe just a bean bag. Either way, Zack was heading towards a cliff that overlooked something. He knew what it was, though. Even though he hadn't been there since before... Since before whatever happened to make him lose his memory. He didn't want to go to the cliff though. He tried to pull back, but only succeeded in shifting a little. That earned a hopeful glance from Zack. He seemed tired, though only his eyes showed it. Otherwise he was as happy and fit as ever.

"There it is Cloud." He leaned his head against Cloud's, hoping that the others wouldn't just roll over. It didn't. "Midgar, man. The place we've been trying to get to. We got away from them. Got away from Se— and Ho–. Got away from 'em all."

Cloud wanted to stare and asked why he hadn't finished the two names above. In the state that he was in, he couldn't even begin to think about and consider what they were. Plus, the second one seemed absolutely foreign to him anyway. Zack set him down on the ground and walked closer to the edge. Twigs snapped from behind him and Zack automatically pulled out his buster sword and spun around. He wasn't quick enough, however. A bullet had already caught him in the shoulder, causing him to drop the weapon before he even got a chance to use it. Cloud wanted to get up and help, but he couldn't. He couldn't move. Zack picked up the sword again and managed to attack the soldiers, or at least that's what they seemed to be from this angle. He got too close though. Close enough for one of the men to go around his sword and shoot him in the chest before getting cut down himself.

Zack was now bleeding in two places, soon to be more. The soldiers never stopped firing, never gave him another chance to fight back. They were so close to their goal. He didn't want to stop it now. He couldn't. However, the goal landed him a trip to the ground and about twenty to thirty more bullets in his chest, causing him to die just after the firing stopped. Cloud couldn't tell if he was really dead, or if he was just faking the guards, but how could you survive something like that? How could you possibly hope to survive getting shot in the chest so many times? Of course, if Zack was dead he probably wasn't hoping anymore. The only one that was, was Cloud.

The guards walked over to him and kicked him a couple of times. That's when Cloud realized that his pain sensors were still working, but his ability to react to them wasn't. When they discovered they weren't going to get anything from him, they decided that it'd be pointless to kill him. He wasn't going to do anything anyways, so the left. Leaving him alone with Zack's body. It was when he remembered that Zack's body was there that his fingers started to move. That's where it started. Little by little, everything else started to work, as if he was cautious about moving to go see how bad he looked. The last thing to cooperate and move were his feet and toes.

Standing up wasn't an option, he just kept falling back down. He'd have to learn to walk all over again in order to get anywhere. He crawled over to Zack's limp body and looked at the bloody mess. If they'd kept shooting there would've been a hole in his chest the size of a softball. There was still one there from the repeated shooting to the same spot, but it wasn't half as large as it could've been. Cloud ran his fingers over each and every wound that he could see. He didn't think there was a place that didn't have one until he looked at Zack's face. There was blood splattered on it, but there wasn't a wound anywhere near it. On his head, neck or anything. The closest wound was Zack's shoulder. Cloud felt his eyes burn and tears fall down his cheeks. He wasn't even able to talk to Zack before he died. He wasn't able to do anything. And even if he had been alive after the soldiers left, he was certainly dead now. Too much blood loss. Cloud hit his knees with his fist, angry that he'd taken so long to move again. Sure, if he hadn't been frozen to the spot he would've died to, but... Wasn't that better than feeling that aching feeling in his chest? That feeling like he was being ripped apart from the inside out.

"I'll live out both our lives. I promise. I'll be you and you'll be me. We'll be the same person all of the time. Then you won't leave. Ever. Right?" Cloud leaned down and kissed Zack for the last time. Somehow he understood that it wasn't the first.

After digging for hours and burying Zack's body on the cliff, he left, hoping to never have to stand on it again.

3

Cloud bolted up out of his bed. He could smell food and he wanted it. However, his head ached too much to actually get up and get it. He wasn't going to get sick, he knew that. He could tell he'd already gotten sick as much as he needed to throughout the night, still managed to get it in the garbage can even though he couldn't remember waking up once. All he needed was a little food, little aspirin, he'd be fine. Just dandy. Okay, so that was a complete lie. He just watched someone he knew was dear to him get shot to death. The thing that killed him the most was that the devastation about the whole event would be drawn out seeing as he didn't remember everything about his relationship with Zack. It was going to take a little while for him to be able to realize exactly how depressing all of this was.

He sat up in bed and yawned. He could hear Vincent and Cid in the kitchen, so he decided to investigate. When he got there, he was surprised to see that everything that was his in the apartment was packed. They'd either brought their own suitcases or had bought them while he was asleep. They were busy cooking breakfast, testing each thing in each other's mouth. Which was depressing to walk up on if the last thing you really saw in your dream was you kissing someone and then burying them. However, the moment they noticed him in the room, they stopped. And watching them just stand there staring reminded him that... He couldn't remember anything he did other than have a staring contest with the two. Man, there were reasons for him not drinking.

"Sorry," Vincent said, bowing his head and getting back to finishing up the meal.

"How're ya feelin'?" Cid walked over and wrapped an arm around his shoulder before bringing him into the kitchen. "You were kinda depressed when you went ta bed and we were worried that somethin' bad might 'appen in yer sleep."

"I... dreamt about Zack again. Except... This time he died." Cloud rubbed his head. It hurt so much to think about anything right now. He really needed food so he could take some aspirin.

"That's what we were afraid you were going to dream about." Vincent looked over from his cooking to stare at him with a sad look in his eyes. "You were going on about him before you fell asleep. Though, you said you don't remember much about him."

"I don't... Except for when we met and when he died. That's all I can remember about him right now. I guess... I guess that means I can't drink alcohol any time close to when I'm sleeping. Next time... Keep me awake." Cloud walked into the living room and heard Cid mumble, "We woulda 'cept... You were smoochin' Vinnie."

His head peered around the door frame. The door seemed pointless... There was a bar type thing that you could see into the living room through anyways. "I did _what_?"

"Uh... Yeah, Vin, what'd 'e do again?" Cid laughed nervously and Vincent gave him a sour look.

"Well, Cid, seeing as you're the one that mentioned it, I think you could explain."

"Right. Gotcha, hun. Well, Blondie, ya kissed my Vinnie-dear. Said you wanted to know whether or not his lips were like Zack's. When you found out they weren't, ya got all depressed." Cid scratched the back of his head, then changed the subject when he noticed that Vincent was distributing food to plates. "Food! I betcha yer hungry, Blondie."

"Not just that... I've got a massive headache." He rubbed his eyes and then walked into the living room, planning to eat in there.

"Sorry, Cloud. We aren't sitting and eating this meal. We're taking the plates and heading for the ship. It seems that Mideel's unstable and the Lifestream may erupt at any moment." Vincent brought the plates out covered in plastic wrap and the rest that he hadn't distributed was being held by Cid in containers.

"But how are we going to get all my stuff-" Just then, the door opened and multiple people with the same uniform came in and began to pick up his stuff. Before he could say anything, Vincent was pushing him out the door and Cid was walking beside him.

4

He hadn't expected to see the airship hovering above the ground when he walked outside. However, that's exactly what he saw and it almost made him run back in for shelter. How he hadn't heard it was a miracle to him. It was bigger than the hospital they'd had him in, which was extremely sad. He was told to grab onto the ladder and wait to be pulled up. He saw that his luggage was being lifted in a net and would be alright. Not that he had a lot, just two or three bags. He didn't have much with him other than clothes. Once on the airship, he had to cover his mouth. He knew that Zack had given him tips for getting over the motion sickness, but he couldn't remember them! If he tried to think about something else on the airship it just reminded him that he was in the air. And that he would be moving. Not a happy thought.

"We already got Fenrir aboard yesterday before we came to your apartment," Vincent led Cloud in the direction of the cabin, so he wouldn't have to stare at them moving.

"Who?" Cloud was confused as to who Vincent was talking about.

"Not 'who', 'what'. Dummy." Cid led them down a flight of stairs and into the hull of the ship where all of the cargo was being stored. "There she is. Fenrir. Beauty she is. Don't know how ya got 'er."

Cloud stared at the motorcycle before him and wondered why he would name a vehicle. Was he bored? Did he not really have any other friends and Cid and Vincent were taking advantage of the fact that he couldn't remember anything to get closer? He was confused. However, he couldn't help but walk over and run his hands along the sleek material. It scared the shit out of him when the sides spread out and there were about a bajillion different swords staring at him. Okay, so they weren't staring, but it was still scary as hell to have to look at something like that. And there weren't a bajillion of them. He liked exaggerating. So Fenrir was his? So were all these swords? They were huge. Just like... Just like Zack's Buster Sword. So had he begun to live out Zack's life? By first taking his sword? Did he accomplish what he set out to accomplish? He supposed he wouldn't really know. Not yet anyways.

"Vince! Cid! Hey! Welcome back aboard!" Cloud turned to see... a girl. That was wrong. Girls weren't allowed in the lives of gay men. Okay, so he was still unsure about his sexuality, but Cid and Vincent were gay. "Hey, Cloud! How're you feeling? You look... pale."

"Yuffie, back off. Cloud has a headache." Vincent held the girl back when she went to walk up to him.

"Z'oh my God! Did he become a drunk when we left him? Or did I do it? I'm sorry if I did it, but if you–" Cid clamped his hand over Yuffie's mouth before she could say anything more.

"He ain't a drunk. Just had a few too many last night. An' that was my fault." Cid let go of her mouth and Vincent dropped his arm. Yuffie took this opportunity to run and hug Cloud.

"They said there was something wrong with your head! I mean, that was just horrible what happened. Whatever happened, that is. None of us really know. Do you know?" She stared at him for a while, waiting for him to answer and never letting go of his waist.

"I don't remember you, do you really think I'd remember what happened to make me forget?" Cloud didn't mean to be rude, but she was too close for someone he didn't know or remember. He'd had the same problem with Cid. However, all his worries about that were long gone.

Yuffie let go of him. "Right, sorry. Cid mentioned that I just sort of... forgot. I'm just... glad you're not hurt."

"...Memory loss doesn't count?" Cloud stared at her a little confused.

"Not really. I mean, it's not a terminal illness, right? And you're recovering, aren't you?" She gave him a "you know I'm right" look before turning back to Vincent. "You guys didn't scare him with you're 'I'm so queer'-ness, did you?"

"Actually, Yuffie, he joined in." Vincent was in a teasing mood at the moment, but he couldn't tease Cid because they weren't alone. So instead, he teased Yuffie, trying to get her mad.

"He what?!" Yuffie looked from Cloud, to Cid, to Vincent, then back to Cloud again. She couldn't really see those three as a, well, threesome.

Cloud was blushing. He was, of course, against what Vincent just said. He knew that Cid had hit on him, which would make him apart of their group for a moment. And he'd kissed Vincent while he was drunk, another thing to add him to the group. However, neither he nor Cid had acknowledged it as an actual threesome. Vincent was the only one doing so. And he was probably doing it to annoy Yuffie.

"Yeah, joined us last night, it was great," Cid said grinning. Scratch him not acknowledging it.

Once again Yuffie looked to him and he knew it was his turn. He was either going to have to deny their claims or go with it. He couldn't tell if it was a hopeful gleam in her eyes or a terrified one. Either way, he had a feeling that he couldn't disagree with Vincent and Cid at this point in time. So therefore, he decided to go with it by... Gasp! Kissing Cid! Cid, of course, returned it, knowing exactly what he was doing. Vincent smiled. However, when Cid started to grope him in places he didn't need to be groped in front of people, he pushed him back and blushed.

"Stop it. That's for private times." Cloud wanted to say, "You're embarrassing me! Knock it off," but he didn't. He held back. Instead he decided to say, "I guess... We're together?"

Yuffie then squealed and he wished he hadn't said anything. He knew she was the gay-fan type. The type that squealed in your ear and wanted you to die from a ruptured ear drum. That would've happened too, if Vincent hadn't clamped a hand over her mouth. He then led her away and left Cloud and Cid alone in the cargo hold. They both just stood there for a moment before Cid grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the stairs. Cloud couldn't see why he'd want to hold hands. He, himself, could walk perfectly fine on his own.

"Uh, Cid, she's gone now..." Cloud wasn't sure what Cid was going to say back, and he was a little worried.

"And? Yer part o' the couple now." He grinned and pulled a stunned Cloud up the stairs.

These were going to be a long few days of remembering.

**/Chapter 3**

**A/N**

Well, there ya go! This chapter was longer than any chapter I've done in a while. . Lots o' words too. I think I did a pretty good job with the narration and everything. However, don't let me think that if it's not true! Review and let me know! Or don't... I'm writing this story for my pleasure this time around. Which is something I haven't done in a long time. Therefore, you can do what you want. I realize I'm not the best FFVII writer out there. XD You can tell me that too.

Thanks to my two reviewers! That doesn't seem like a lot for two (going on three) chapters, but it's enough for me. 333 At least it's something, right? Something's always better than nothing.


	4. A Pedophile is Chasing Me!

**Disclaimer: **I. Do. Not. Own. Final. Fantasy. VII. Or. It's. Characters. Why do I have to keep doing this?! ;;

**Warning:** Still shounen-ai people. Uh, Cid's swearing seeing as he hasn't been doing that a lot lately (he should really start), and... I can't think of anything else I should have to warn you about.

**A/N:**

The plot thickens as... The Muffin Man comes to steal your cheese! Beware! Okay... After the first chapter, this is the sort of mood I've been in. However, it didn't get into a good portion of this chapter. At least not the beginning. I was too busy plotting and, y'know, getting more than VinxCid sex in there. XD Okay, so it wasn't sex, but still. You understand what I mean, I hope.

I'm sorry this took so long, as I've said a million times before, I've just been so busy with everything and I'm not all that confident in myself and my writing so these haven't come out in a while. Hopefully I can get back into it though. I don't have the next chapter quite done, but I've got it started at least. I'm just stuck and... In a depressing rut. I hate it, and I'm sorry if it's caused you any grief. And I realize that my storylines kinda suck... Well, no one's actually said that to me, but that's how I feel. ;; Anyways, here's your chapter.

**Chapter 4: **A Pedophile is Chasing Me!!!

1

Cloud stared straight ahead of him. He was in an awkward position. A very awkward position. An awkward position with someone he just met (for the second time) yesterday. Cid had him against the wall. All they'd been doing was walking up the stairs and all of a sudden Cid just pushed him against the wall. It wasn't until he noticed Yuffie out of the corner of his eye that he understood why Cid did it. He didn't seem to be the kind of person to do something like that out of impulse. Maybe to Vincent, but certainly not him. It was when Cid kissed him that Cloud got really uncomfortable. He'd never locked lips with him long enough to taste the cigarettes and booze on his breath. The cigarettes made him sick and the booze just made his headache pound more, reminding him that he had to eat and take some aspirin.

However, Cid had other things in mind. His hand slid up Cloud's shirt to caress the well-toned muscles underneath. Cloud was ready to push him away, but Yuffie was still watching and they were trying to convince her that Cloud was in on the group activities. Vincent saw what was going on and shook his head, telling Yuffie to go to the kitchen and heat up their breakfast. She did as she was told, sulking the whole way there. Ninjas were never allowed to watch things like this! Ugh! She was so underappreciated.

"Cid, you can stop groping him now. I think he might die if you continue." Cid pulled back to look at Vincent then turned to Cloud.

"Sorry 'bout that. I just know how she thinks and she expects me to make out with Vinnie every time she leaves. Which I do... So its only natural she'd expect the same when you joined the group." Cloud just nodded and straightened his shirt out as Cid blushed with embarrassment. He'd never admitted to anyone that he made out with Vincent. At least not verbally.

"I know. Don't worry about it... I just... wanna know how Vincent can stand kissing you so much. All I could taste was cigarettes and alcohol." Cloud wiped his mouth, hoping that would help him taste something better.

Vincent just walked down the hall, not wanting to be confronted with that question. Cloud didn't need to know that he couldn't taste how badly Cid's mouth was infected with cigarettes and his favorite friend in the world. Booze. He couldn't overpower that taste with his own, no matter how many times he kissed Cid. Mostly because that would be wrong. Very very wrong. 'Cause it would also mean a lot of his spit went into Cid's mouth. He didn't think that would be a very healthy thing to do. So therefore he refrained from spitting in Cid's mouth. He couldn't help the occasional French kiss, but he never spit in Cid's mouth.

He heard Cid coming up behind him, with Cloud on his heels. He could distinguish the sound between their boots. They would never know how, and they would possibly even never know, but he'd always know which one of them was sneaking up on him in the dark. Cid gave his hand a reassuring squeeze to say, "I'm not cheating on you," before passing him and hurrying to the bridge. When Cloud caught up to him, however, he stayed right beside him. He'd expected him to follow Cid looking for more of what the "Old Geezer" had given him. However, Cloud seemed uneasy until he settled beside Vincent. Everything that Cid did obviously didn't make Cloud feel any better about the situation he was in.

"I'm sorry..." Cloud was looking at the ground, not really paying attention to the things in front of him, so he almost walked into one of the many WRO members walking the ship. He uttered another apology.

"What are you sorry for, Cloud? I... shouldn't have said you joined in. This never would've happened. I caused you discomfort." Vincent was really starting to think that he was forcing this whole threesome thing into being. He and Cid were the first two people that Cloud saw other than the annoying doctors. So naturally he was going to feel more secure with them and... With Cid kissing him the way he was, Vincent wasn't sure Cloud was going to be able to let go.

"Cloud? That you?" Vincent then remembered someone who would just _love_ to take advantage of Cloud's not being in his right mind. Tifa.

Cloud turned to look at who was talking to him. There she was. The girl from his dreams. The one he'd wanted so much when he was little. He thought that, if he saw her, he'd feel _something _other than just deja vu. However, he got nothing from looking at her. She didn't seem half as important as she would have years ago when he actually cared about getting her attention. Right now, however, he wanted her to leave. He'd rather spend a whole day with Cid kissing him, or something like that, than spend five more minutes with her right there.

"Tifa, Cloud's still not feeling well. I was just escorting him to a room where he could lay down and rest for a little while." Thank Leviathan Vincent was around.

"Oh, well, I could show him there. That way you could go and spend time with Cid." Vincent narrowed his eyes at this comment. No on knew what was really going on. At least not officially. Barret had somewhat an idea because he found them huddled together under the covers and Yuffie because she practically stalked him everywhere. Poor Cid had to deal with that fact. However, Tifa shouldn't have any idea because they made an effort to avoid her.

"Cid's busy at the moment. We wouldn't be able to discuss the situation even if I wanted to." Vincent then took Cloud by the arm and continued walking.

"Well, you've been with him for a while now, I'm sure you'd like a break. I could explain to him–" Vincent cut her off, more than slightly annoyed with her persistence.

"Thank you, Tifa, for the offer. However, Reeve, Cid, and myself have already agreed not to tell Cloud anything. He's regaining his memories at a steady pace and will remember anything he feels the need to remember himself." He opened a door with a card that was hidden underneath his shirt. When Tifa went to follow, he turned around to face her. "Unless you're sick, Tifa, stay out. Cloud needs to be left alone. Which is what I'll do just after I get him situated."

She stood there, mouth open, as the door to the sick bay closed in her face. She hadn't meant to be so persistent, or nasty, about the whole thing, but she had wanted to make sure Cloud was okay. She sort of ruined her chance at getting to talk to him by herself. She really didn't have bad intentions, she just didn't know how to execute a proper argument. The whole time Cloud hadn't said a word. He didn't even acknowledge whether or not he knew who she was. That had to be the worst blow of all. Even worse than having to watch the door close and she get locked out. Why did Vincent have a key to everything on the ship? No one else but Cid had that much access to the place. When she mentioned Vincent hanging out with Cid, she'd sincerely meant as friends, but... He seemed to take it in a different way. As if she was saying they were, dare she think it, _gay together_. However, she couldn't see Cid as that type of person. He drank, smoke, and talked about beautiful women way too much to be in love with Vincent. Or gay even. What was wrong with people today?

Vincent was trying to calm himself back down. He never yelled, no, just got extremely aggravated. He noticed that it was mostly the opposite sex that aggravated him all the time. Lucrecia and her decisions had aggravated him throughout most of his life and Tifa, well, her continuous attack of Cloud had always aggravated every male in the group. Not because they were all gay for Cloud (though sometimes that _was_ part of it), but because he was a friend and they pitied him. However, Cloud had always been the most calm and collected when it came to Tifa. He dealt with her nagging and never complained. He even confessed to Vincent once that he didn't think she meant to be so annoying and that's why he stayed calm. Vincent, despite just having joined the group, couldn't really see that as the case, but he didn't argue with Cloud. No, that wouldn't have gotten him anywhere. Cloud was a very convincing person.

"Vincent... Do I have... A relationship with her?" Cloud seemed thoroughly terrified at the thought and Vincent felt obligated to give him some reassurance.

"No, though she'd certainly like you to have one with her. After you became great she adored you. At least that's how you explained it to me. When you were still scrawny she didn't like you. You said you weren't going to love someone who couldn't love you not matter who you were or what you looked like." He rubbed Cloud's back and led him into one of the side rooms that adorned the hallway.

"It took me... a long time to figure out she wasn't worth it... I guess." Cloud felt bad for saying something like that about someone, but she didn't seem worth mourning over. Zack was someone to mourn over and he was doing it now, even though he didn't care for him half as much as he knew he would after remembering more about him. Sometimes he hated himself for how he thought about other people. He was never fair to them, it seemed. He didn't think about his mother when he left to go join SOLDIER. He was thinking about Tifa. He wasn't thinking about Tifa when he was talking about love. He was thinking about Zack and... There was someone else that kept popping up, but there wasn't a name or a face, only a shadow.

"I guess so. I believe it took a certain turning point in our journey together to realize that some people were much more important. That's all I can say, though. I wouldn't let her tell you everything so I can't." Cloud nodded in agreement and stared at the room he'd entered and wondered if it had been made just for him. A room in the sick bay made just for him? It was all dark blue, the color he'd gone on about liking in earlier chapters! He was so amazed with the accuracy of people's knowledge. Then again, he was still getting used to the fact that they knew him.

"Uh... Vincent...?"

"Before you even begin to ask, yes, it was made for you. Just in case your motion sickness kicked in while you were on board."

Cloud had completely forgotten about feeling sick at all. Even now that he remembered it wasn't half as bad as it had been when he'd gotten on. He also no longer had a headache. That... didn't seem right. He'd managed to keep his mind off it so much that he had pretty much cured himself of it for today. Tomorrow, though, well... That was a completely different story. He might wake up feeling sick. That didn't matter, though, because today was today and that's what he was going to think about! Okay, he was making circles in his brain. That wasn't good.

"Well, like I said, I'm going to let you rest. Tifa's probably waiting for me to walk out of the door just to make sure that I stay true to my word." Vincent put down a set of clothes that were similar to the one's Zack wore when he died, before walking out and leaving Cloud by himself. "If you want to change out of those, these still fit you."

Cloud couldn't believe it. He knew he hadn't made it into SOLDIER and yet, those clothes that Vincent said still fit him... Those were Zack's. What was up with him? This was... messed up. He had said he'd live out both their lives, but... He'd figure it out later. Right now he just wanted to do nothing. Well, somewhat nothing. He wanted to lay down, make himself feel better about stealing Zack's clothes, and figure out whether or not he could remember burying him naked. He then decided that he couldn't. So how had he gotten the clothing? Oh well. It wasn't really important. He noticed a door leading out of the room to the side. Either he was lucky and that was a bathroom or he wasn't and it just led to another room. If it was a bathroom, he hoped there was a shower. He needed one. However, this was an airship. He couldn't hope for too much.

Wow. What luck. Cid was a miracle worker or something because there was a shower in what he discovered _was_ a bathroom. And, as he found out when he turned the faucet, it _worked_. Great. He hadn't dared use the shower at the apartment for fear that it would break on him. This one worked, though, and it worked _well_. He shut the door behind him and began to take the extremely dirty clothes off of himself. Once done, he slipped into the shower, never hearing the door to his room open and close.

He began to lather his hair with the shampoo, hoping to God that it wasn't some messed up shampoo for the elderly. Well, not that it _had_ to be for elderly people. But sick people too. However, this room was supposedly made just for him, so it was highly unlikely that anyone else had used it or that it was specifically made for old/sick people. He came to the conclusion that it was clean and okay to use. People would argue that it was made for the sick if they knew he'd even thought about it.

All of a sudden a screeching noise filled his ears and he clutched them, hoping that they noise would go away. He didn't understand what was going on, but he knew it hurt. Why was his head doing this, if it was even his head at all? Why wasn't the plane going down? How could the pilot fly with this sort of noise nagging at him? Or... was he truly going crazy and no one could hear this but him? He got real dizzy real fast. Soon he couldn't see anything, even though his eyes were open. Shortly after, he found himself tripping over air and falling. His head ended up colliding with the tiled wall and he slumped to the floor, unconscious and bleeding from where his temple hit the wall.

The bathroom door opened then, and the same WRO member that Cloud had almost run into earlier stood there, staring at the still running water through the shower curtain. He pulled the red hat off of his head, revealing more hair than any normal man should have. If Cloud had been conscious, he would've shivered and possibly fainted at the sight. However, if he had his memories, he would've known better than to stay within fifty feet of the man. Sephiroth. The exact person that Cloud idolized as a teenager and struggled with as an adult. Vincent, who was heading back from the bridge, would have certainly tried to kill him in an instant. However, Cloud would've clung to the fact that his idol was there, near him, willing to talk to him. Oh, Sephiroth was willing to do more than just talk to Cloud. His life goal was to torture him until the day he died. However, the same person kept interrupting every time he was doing a good job. Cloud just seemed too good for him. Now that he no longer remembered everything, however, Sephiroth would draw him in and then strike. It was a perfect plan in his mind. Something anyone could think of, but nearly no one could pull it off. "No one" didn't have a young man with amnesia. "No one" had to gain the trust of that person _before_ striking. Sephiroth had it the easy way. Good thing, too. He was sick of trying too hard and then failing. That never felt good.

He slid the curtain open and stared at Cloud for a few moments (he's rude, yes; has a staring problem) before turning the water off. "Oh, Cloud, you're so clumsy sometimes." An evil smirk played across his lips. "What would I do if we had to start all over with those memories of yours? That would make things slightly harder... You're at the perfect place where you are. Let's keep you there." He then picked Cloud up and ignored the blood that was still on the tiles. He might as well leave some evidence for his dear friends. In another moment he was putting the hat back on, dressing Cloud, putting him in a bag, leaving, and heading for one of the many escape pods on the ship. This seemed almost too easy. And, without Cloud fighting him, it was.

2

Vincent couldn't believe it. Cloud was gone. They'd just got him back and he was already gone. He obviously hadn't run away; the blood on the shower stall was proof enough for that. Someone had taken him. Now, how they had managed to get in there, Vincent wasn't really sure. All he was sure of was that they'd found one of the WRO members bound and gagged in a closet. Nearly naked and without his keycard to the sick bay, too. That was how certain workers got into their divisions. Vincent just happened to have a master card. Cid was barking orders, aggravated and afraid (though he'd never admit that), making Vincent's headache worse. Vincent wasn't going to complain though, he understood what was wrong, however. Anything could happen to Cloud when he wasn't with them. Anyone could take advantage of his memory loss. Vincent's head snapped up when a call came through to the ship. It was from the Turks.

"You guys gonna hurry it up, yo?" It was Reno. The last person that Cid was about to talk to at the moment.

"We'll hurry the fuck up when we wanna, ya ass. Now get off my back. We've got a problem and it needs solvin'. Now, unless you've got a solution for us, butt out." Cid turned away from the screen that displayed Reno's face looking perplexed. "We fuckin' lost Cloud. We don't know where he is or who took 'im. One o' my—"

"Woah, Grampa, Cloud's missin'?" Reno cut him off, looking sincerely concerned.

"Not really missing, Reno, so much as kidnaped." Vincent figured it was better if he took over the conference. Cid was silently fuming and swearing off in a corner and he didn't need Reno's persistent questions to make him even more aggravated. After all, he hated having to restate what he, himself, already knew.

"Kidnaped? That ain't good, yo. How'd it happen?"

"We're not quite sure. I left Cloud in the sick bay to get some rest, clean up, or anything else that he might need to do. When I came back to leave his food the bathroom door was open when it hadn't been. I checked to see if he was just getting out and there was blood on the wall tile. Meaning he probably hit his head or something."

"Great, yo. More amnesia. We're on it. Turks out."

"Hn."

Cid stared at Vincent. He hadn't given a grunt for an answer since before they dealt with Deepground. After that mission he had opened up a little bit more and begun to have normal conversations. He'd always talked a lot with Cloud, but he talked even more now. Vincent walked passed him and out into the hall, signaling for him to follow. He did just as he was told, not wanting to get any more grunts from the man unless they were in bed. Now this was a bad time to have a dirty mind.

Once they were out of ear shot of everyone else, Vincent began to speak.

"Listen, I think that Cloud's recent kidnapper may have to do with who attacked him and made him lose his memories the first time. Hell, they may even be the same person. Either way, Cloud's in danger now and we need to find him. I'm not sure how much longer he'll last without us. Everything's a threat to him in his state. He probably doesn't even remember how to properly wield his Buster Sword. Not that he has it. We do. So he's defenseless and... There's something else I didn't want to mention to Reno or to the WRO members..."

Cid stared for a moment before urging him to go on. "What didn't ya wanna mention to 'em?"

"I found a strand of hair. Long, silver hair."

3

Images of Sephiroth and Zack were floating through his mind. It hurt to look at Zack and Sephiroth just confused him. Cloud wanted to wake up, but every time he tried, the noise from before just knocked him out again. He suffered through what seemed like a million images before his mind set on one and went with it, replaying the events that led up to and occurred after it.

"Cloud, honey, you're walking too fast!" Zack stumbled, being too drunk to keep his balance without Cloud there to hold him up.

Cloud just laughed and said, "I'm not your honey and... You should've thought of that before you drank so much."

"Well, maybe you should be my honey. Honey's sweet and you act sweet. I wonder if you taste sweet." All of a sudden there was a weight on Cloud's back and he fell down, right on his face.

"Zachary! Why would I want to be your honey?! You squish me all the time!" It was all in fun, but still... He was somewhat serious.

"Aw... C'mon, baby. Don't be so sour! I love you!"

"You do—"

He was cut off due to Zack flipping him around and kissing him fully on the lips. He couldn't pull back because he was already pressed into the ground and moving forward would just be deepening the kiss. He didn't feel like doing that, so he settled with just sitting there and looking cute, a shocked look plastered to his face. Zack didn't pull back for a couple of minutes, and even then he wrapped his arms around him and wouldn't let go.

"Z-Zack...? What are you doing?" Cloud was blushing and confused. He didn't understand what was wrong with him.

"Stay with me, hon, please. S-she got mad today. She might leave me. But you'll stay with me, won't you baby?" Zack kissed him again, this time briefly.

Cloud didn't know who he meant by "she," but it didn't matter. She was probably a girlfriend or something. Something very foreign to Cloud and that Zack would obviously have because, on his normal days, he was a straight man. However, today was an off day so he was bisexual. Obviously it was an off day, this chick had gotten mad at him... He'd stay for Zack, though. It wasn't like he had anywhere more important to be. Zack was the most important thing going for him at the moment. So therefore, if Zack wanted it, he'd do it. But he'd make Zack a deal.

"Alright, I'll be your 'honey' and your 'baby' for tonight. Don't ask me 'why' tomorrow if I start crying. I just fell in love, that's all." He didn't regret admitting something like that so straightforwardly, and he wouldn't. By the time that morning came around, Zack would forget that they'd kissed and forget anything he said throughout the whole entire time. It seemed a little melodramatic, sure, but at least he wasn't lying. If you were melodramatic and lying, well... That was just silly. He was really falling for Zack and his goofy ways, though.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." Zack cried into his shoulder for a little while longer before continuing the trek home. Cloud couldn't believe that someone so strong was crying on his shoulder. It just didn't seem logical to him. Not logical at all. Then again... What with Zack _was _logical?

They made it back to the apartment within ten minutes. The moment they got beyond the door, Zack had Cloud pinned up against it. He wasn't doing anything... yet. He was just staring at him, eyes glazed over with lust and booze. Cloud stared straight back, smiling that goofy smile he'd learned form Zack. The one that always earned him a thwack if Zack ever noticed. He ran a hand through Zack's hair, feeling that it was just as soft as his own, if not more so. That set Zack off immediately. He showered Cloud's face with kisses and caressed his cheeks. It was almost as if he'd been holding it all in for days because he didn't stop until both he and Cloud were gasping for air. The heat seemed to be soaking it all up. Just wasn't fair, I tell you, wasn't fair. It was that moment that the image had depicted in Cloud's mind. The image of them standing there panting.

Cloud made the next move, kissing along Zack's jaw line. It was only natural that he started first, having had the most air left. He heard a satisfied sigh come from Zack's mouth and moved downward, towards his neck, and nipped at the flesh there. That earned him a couple of soft moans and a hiss when he bit too hard. Inexperience was the most embarrassing thing. Especially when Zack is looking down at you, chuckling because you've got this shocked "I don't know what I did" look on your face.

"Try to be gentle. Like this..." Zack took over Cloud's previous duty of giving pleasure, first starting in the center of Cloud's neck, nipping and kissing until he got to Cloud's ear where he began to whisper into it. "Stay here. With me. Forever. You don't need anything else, do you? I'm good enough, right? I love you, Cloud, I love you."

"I need food Zack. And you don't love me. You just think you do." Cloud was starting to think about just how much that thought hurt him. "Please, Zack..."

"Shhh... We'll buy food together. You just can't leave me alone." That seemed to be Zack's worst fear, even if he didn't say it out loud. Being alone. Cloud didn't like it either, so he could relate.

Zack continued to kiss and pleasure Cloud in any way he could while they both still had their clothes on. Later on they moved to the living room, discarding clothing as they went. After that they upgraded to the bedroom, deciding that it was a perfect place for them to stop and finish up what they had started. Hours later they would wake up to find themselves entangled in each other's arms, naked as the day they were born. Neither one would mind though. Zack was quite sober by the time they reached the end of their fun.

**/Chapter 4**

**A/N**

Yeah, so... The title of the chapter is mainly because of Cid and Sephiroth randomly popping up! Yeah... I've got a way to explain how he came back so don't worry. And it makes sense, too! Can you believe it? I didn't totally jump into this one without any thought of what the later plot would be like! However... I'm stumped as to what Sephiroth should do with Cloud at this moment... . He'll be molested for sure, but he won't really know that it's molestation. 'Cept for the fact that he remembers about himself loving Zack. That'll throw a bit of a wrench in there. However, Sephiroth was sorta his first love. In the game and out. With or without Tifa. He liked Sephiroth much more than her. Which something funny to say after saying I don't like him anymore. ;; But I can't deny facts... It's not my fault.

I'm sorry about not going into more detail with the whole scene between Zack and Cloud. And Cid and Vincent in the last chapter. However, I didn't keep this at a 'T' rating and sex goes under 'M'. I'm too lazy to change the rating, especially if that's the only reason it's going to be rated 'M'... I'd rather it be rated 'M' for language (it's not to heavy here, so that's okay), sex, and violence. Maybe more. Just... Yeah. :( I'm just not good at that sort of thing as I've stated before. Double sorry. 3


End file.

Final Fantasy VII